World Tourism Blog

TO find the Kabak Valley, drive east along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Park your car when the pavement runs out, and walk (or hitch a ride on a truck) to a portal to another dimension.

Just be sure you have a ticket. At least that is what Emine Altindal, one of the proprietors of the Shambala, a spiritually inclined eco-resort that clings to a cliff above an impossibly blue-rimmed half-moon of beach here, told me during a recent visit.

“People who have a ticket come here,” she said.

“A ticket? What kind of ticket?” I asked.

“There is a protecting energy like wings of an angel over this place,” she said. This lush, secluded valley is a star gate, she explained, a door through which one leaves one form of consciousness and joins another.

Perhaps. But it may be more likely that, as my partner, Candy, and I discovered last month when we spent several blissful days there hiking, swimming and staring out at evergreen-clad mountains flanking azure waters, it is merely one of the wildest, most remote and peaceful corners of one of the world’s bluest seas.

Kabak Valley sits along the Lycian Way, a 300-mile-long hiking trail that snakes along a part of Turkey’s coast that was once Lycia, an important outpost of the Roman Empire.

The rugged mountains that hug the coastline have long drawn tourists, many of them British, to what package vacation marketers call the Turquoise Coast. Charter flights deposit sun seekers at Dalaman Airport in droves, disgorging them to beaches in the resort towns of Marmaris and Oludeniz, where the reliable availability of a full English breakfast and a surfeit of beach loungers keep them coming.

For these reasons this seemed an unlikely spot to find the kind of solitude we usually seek on vacation. Yet the combination of mountains and sea, especially that azure Mediterranean variety, had its own allure. After a bit of dissatisfied searching, we stumbled upon the quiet terrain of the Kabak.

The valley has been a hidden favorite with hikers on the Lycian Way since the trail, parts of which date back thousands of years, gained popularity in the late 1990s. Arriving there, you can see why. From the main road a signpost points down a rough dirt trail through thick pine forest toward the glinting sea.

In the last couple of years, getting to Kabak has gotten easier, with a road that leads down into the valley and several new and increasingly posh establishments bringing a touch of luxury to what might otherwise be a backpacker-only zone. We arrived the easy way, in a small white Hyundai sedan we had rented at Dalaman Airport. But the car couldn’t possibly make it down the rough road, so we called the Shambala, and they were kind enough to pick us up in a four-wheel-drive and take us halfway down the valley, to their resort.

One look at the view from our room, a wood and glass bungalow that fairly floated on the cliff wall, and I understood all the spiritual talk. The Kabak Valley is a stunning and remote slice of wilderness.

Ms. Altindal and her husband, Hulki Altug, built Shambala three years ago as an escape from their hectic life in Istanbul. “When we started to build this place it was something just for us and our friends,” she said.

They named it for the mythical Himalayan city of Shambala. In the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism it was a magical city hidden high in the mountains where everyone had attained enlightenment.

“We wanted to create our own version here,” Ms. Altindal said.

The people at Shambala (theshambala.com) have all kinds of explanations for why the Kabak Valley is so special. It is one of only three places that did not freeze in the last ice age, they say. There is an energy vortex here, they insist.

The good news is that mumbo jumbo is strictly optional. The slightly kooky spirituality, along with the peace-and-love vibe, is served up as a side dish, and you can take it or leave it. Even so, I was surprised to find it deliciously devoid of irony, and deeply endearing.

And while the folks who run the place might be hippies, they run a tight ship: peace, love and dinner promptly at 8.

Indeed, everything at the resort speaks to an exacting attention to detail, from the homemade organic olive oil soaps to the carefully designed bungalows and treehouses.

Beyond the Shambala, the valley’s lodgings have gotten an upgrade. Simple backpacker camps have refined their accommodations as new seekers make their way there. One afternoon we had a delightful lunch of grilled fish at Shanti Garden, one of several establishments on the valley floor, just behind the beach. Shanti Garden’s spotless but spartan bungalows are a less expensive alternative to the Shambala, and are much closer to the beach. Another nearby camp, Reflections, has a special focus on yoga.

All our meals in the valley were simple in the best Mediterranean way — fresh ingredients, many of them grown locally, requiring little embellishment. The breakfast spread at Shambala in particular made me swoon: plump tomatoes adorned in local olive oil and thyme plucked from a nearby bush; hunks of homemade cheese; a sesame seed version of Nutella; leek-stuffed pancakes cooked on a wide griddle by an Anatolian granny; yeasty bread right out of the oven.

But the main attraction here is nature. The valley spills out beneath Shambala. A short hike leads down to a beach of white sand and pebbles. During our visit, the water had a not unpleasant chilly edge, just enough to cut through the sweat of the hike down. A 15-minute swim led to a water-filled cave, where afternoon sunlight filtering through the blue sea illuminated a miniature cathedral of stone.

The Lycian Way leads deep into the valley as it follows its course toward the city of Antalya. One afternoon we followed it up from Kabak’s beach, along the valley wall, drinking in the panorama of the Mediterranean with each switchback. After a couple of hours of heavy slogging, punctuated by breaks to enjoy the sea breeze and view, we arrived at a small waterfall that spilled into an icy, limpid pool. Sweaty from the climb, we stripped down and jumped in. The first electric jolt of mountain water was refreshing, but we didn’t linger. It was a long walk back to the beach, then back up the valley, to get back to our portal to bliss.

By LYDIA POLGREEN

Mountains above the Kabak Valley fall to the Mediterranean.

Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Line Upgrade

Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Lines, Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Lines are in various stages of improving their private island retreats — from just starting to already finished. New additions range from private cabanas to exhilarating rides and water play areas, as well as expanded beach areas. Whether the island renovations are being made to accommodate big new ships or add unique ways to explore, the changes will give first timers and repeat cruisers a new and improved taste of island life — and a reason to return on a future cruise.

Here’s what you can expect to find on upcoming private island calls.

Royal Caribbean’s Labadee

Best New Addition: Until now, Disney’s Castaway Cay was the only private island where ships could dock, with all other cruise line islands requiring tender service. Not anymore. Labadee’s new pier was recently completed and is large enough to accommodate Royal Caribbean’s new behemoth ship, Oasis of the Seas. It’s a good thing, too, as it could have taken a while to tender the ship’s 5,400 passengers from ship to shore.

Added Island Improvements: In addition to the new pier, Labadee has a new welcome plaza, which serves as the starting point for water taxis. It also offers new sea-based shore tours and five walking paths that lead to special areas throughout the peninsula. Some of these areas include the new Dragon’s Plaza, home to the Dragon’s Breath Flight Line (the world’s longest zip line over water) and Labadee Town Square, which features the Haitian Cultural Museum, Cafe Labadee and Bar, an artisan market and the boarding area for the new Alpine Coaster (a mountainside thrill ride, somewhat like a rollercoaster).

Cabana Bonanza: Cabanas are being added to ship decks and private islands like HDTV is to family rooms. The new Barefoot Beach Club, available exclusively to Royal Caribbean’s suite guests, offers 20 private cabanas for rent along the water’s edge and within the hillside areas. Each cabana includes upgraded food and beverage offerings like lobster and steak. In addition, the spa facilities at Barefoot Beach have been revamped to include yoga classes.

Old Favorites: You can still bounce on water trampolines and inflatable iceberg-shaped slides at Columbus Cove Aqua Park ($15 for 50 minutes). Or, for a more sedentary pursuit, watch African-style dancing and drumming at the folkloric show. Two Haitian marketplaces sell local crafts, paintings, coffee, woodcarvings, baskets and more. Luc’s Splash Bash is the island’s dedicated area for kids, featuring ground geysers, water cannons and a treasure map trail.

Renovation Status: Labadee’s renovations were completed in October 2009. The port escaped damage during Haiti’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010, as it’s located some 100 miles from Port-au-Prince and the quake’s epicenter.

By CHRISTINE KOUBEK

400-plus Celebrity Cruise passengers came down with gastrointestinal illnesses.

Cape Town Has Much to Offer, Even If You Are Not a Soccer Fan

CAPE TOWN - Overshadowed by Table Mountain and teeming with soccer fans here to watch the World Cup, Cape Town is a vibrant city at the tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors to get the most out of a 48-hour visit to a city in the feverish grip of Africa’s first World Cup.

FRIDAY

6 p.m. - Kick off your stay with sundowners or hot chocolate at Wakame Asian sushi restaurant in Beach Road , Mouille Point, enjoying an uninterrupted vista of the ocean as the waves break meters away. Even in winter, the sun pokes out its brilliant head periodically and this is an ideal spot to relax as the fading light becomes one with the ocean darkness. Call them on +27 21 433 2377. If raw fish isn’t quite your fancy, then try the sophisticated Aubergine restaurant where diners enjoy their meals as a fireplace provides warmth and ambience during the cold winter nights. Situated in the former 19th century home of the Cape’s first chief justice, the restaurant offers innovative twists to culinary classics, with wild boar and geranium scented sauce among the favorites. The restaurant is found at 39 Barnet Street, Gardens or could be contacted on +27 21 465 4909.

7:30 p.m. - It’s soccer World Cup time and the inner-city undergoes a regular metamorphosis as streets are blocked or opened to assist thousands of fans attending matches at Green Point Stadium. The stadium, within walking distance of the city’s central business district, is adjacent to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, a mega-mall that offers something for everyone. Having whet your appetite earlier, why not grab a succulent Ostrich (the world’s largest flightless bird) fillet with red wine sauce at Belthazar Restaurant (Shop 153, +27 21 421 3753) or for those with a wilder palate, a game kebab typically featuring meat cuts from Kudu, Springbok, Gemsbok and Impala buck. Also situated at the V&A is Nelson Mandela Gateway (+27 21 413 4217), where you can buy tickets (200 rand p/p return) to visit Robben Island Museum and see the cell which held South Africa’s first black state leader for 26 years. There are usually four tours a day during winter ending 3 p.m. daily, (including Sundays and holidays). To cater for increased demand during the World Cup tournament, there are an extra two boat trips at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The island is a World Heritage site and a former leper colony. All trips are weather dependent.

By Wendell Roelf

The new 70,000 seat capacity Green Point Stadium (bottom L) for the FIFA Soccer World Cup in Cape Town, on April 25, 2010. Overshadowed by Table Mountain and teeming with soccer fans here to watch the World Cup, Cape Town is a vibrant city at the tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

IT was love at first sight. Henry James was 26 when he crossed the border from Switzerland and made his way, on foot, down into Italy — “warm & living & palpable,” as he wrote ecstatically to his sister on Aug. 31, 1869. The romance kindled that day lasted nearly 40 years, and played a significant part in his career; he set some of his greatest works in Italy, including “Daisy Miller,” “The Aspern Papers” and “The Wings of the Dove.”

All three are excellent traveling companions, particularly if you’re en route to Rome and Venice — but a more direct (though of course inescapably Jamesian, and therefore at times convoluted) expression of his contagious passion for what he declared to be the “most beautiful country in the world” can be found in his travel writing.

Henry James as tour guide? He won’t lead you step by step, waving a pennant so you don’t get lost, but he does show the way. His fine, reverberating consciousness sets off a corresponding reverberation in the sympathetic reader, who can’t help but admire the way Italy liberates an appetite for sensual experience in this most cerebral of authors.

If you’re thinking of visiting Umbria and Tuscany, James has even thoughtfully planned out your route: in 1874, when his Italian romance was in its infancy (and the Kingdom of Italy was a newborn nation, having achieved unification only in 1861), James wrote for The Atlantic Monthly a travel essay called “A Chain of Cities,” in which he describes his springtime wanderings in Assisi, Perugia, Cortona and Arezzo, ancient hill towns well stocked with artistic treasures and expansive views — all neatly arranged within easy distance of one another. James, traveling by train, lounges and loafs along the way, examining and judging an artist’s work, or sitting on a sunny bench beneath the ramparts of a ruined fortress, or strolling aimlessly, merely savoring the flavor of “adorable Italy.” A 21st-century traveler whose schedule is fixed by the tyranny of airline reservations may be tempted to pick up the pace (certainly a possibility if you’ve rented a car), but accident and adventure, the kind of chance encounter that loitering invites, are just as important, in the search for the essence of a place, as methodical contemplation.

James’s principal interests are scenery and art, though he occasionally casts his eye — while holding his nose — on the unwashed populace (the Puritan in him was shocked by the Italian peasant’s indifference to soap). All four towns are perched high and blessed with stunning views, but of course the views were even more gorgeous in the 19th century, before the valleys were streaked with highways, dotted with factories and warehouses and veiled by smog.

In Assisi, James looks out over “the teeming softness of the great vale of Umbria,” and watches “the beautiful plain mellow into the tones of twilight.” Today the plain is still “teeming” (though with human activity rather than nature’s bounty), and the mellow haze in the distance looks suspiciously chemical. But if the views are less pristine, the art and the architectural monuments are far more accessible, preserved and curated with care and intelligence. Each of these towns is home to more masterpieces than you can comfortably absorb in one visit; this is an itinerary overflowing with artistic riches.

If James insists on a measured tempo (in Perugia he warns that a visitor’s “first care must be to ignore the very dream of haste, walking everywhere very slowly and very much at random”), at least part of the reason is that in these towns there’s little choice. Most of the streets, especially in Assisi, Perugia and Cortona, are steep, narrow and crooked; haste would soon leave you panting. Arezzo is gentler, but there, too, James is right: even if you’re fit enough to race along, a leisurely stroll is infinitely more rewarding when nearly every building has half a millennium of history attached to it.

In Assisi, James counsels, the visitor’s “first errand” is with the 13th-century basilica dedicated to St. Francis. The church, which houses the saint’s tomb — “one of the very sacred places of Italy” — is a magnet for religious pilgrims. James hits on a suggestive metaphor for the basilica’s astonishing structure: it consists of two churches, one piled on top of the other, and he imagines that they were perhaps intended as “an architectural image of the relation between heart and head.” The lower church, built in the Romanesque style, is somber, cave-like and complex, whereas the upper church, a fine example of Italian Gothic, is bright, spacious, rational. (Though he often favored head over heart, reason over emotion, James was a master at turning the tables.) Both churches are famously decorated with frescoes hugely important to the history of art, most of them traditionally ascribed to Giotto (c. 1267-1337). Studying them closely, James pays tribute to the artist’s expressive power: “Meager, primitive, undeveloped, he is yet immeasurably strong” — a judgment still valid today.

By ADAM BEGLEY

The 13th-century basilica dedicated to St. Francis as seen from the fortress above Assisi.

After a Long Winter, The City Revels in its Never-Ending Summer Days.

On a recent Saturday night in mid-June, the banks of St. Petersburg’s Neva River were packed. Mostly young people armed with drinks, mingled with couples and families admiring the sunset from parks and paths along the shore. A pair of bongo players banged away in the shadow of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and hundreds lounged on the wall that lines the river.

It was 10:30 p.m. and the sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, but no one showed signs of heading home anytime soon. After all, these are the famous White Nights in Russia’s second city, a two-month period from May to July when St. Petersburg is light almost 24 hours a day.

“It’s just marvellous,” said Jonathan Knaus, an American banker who has lived in Moscow for almost two decades and has visited St. Petersburg during White Nights several times over the years. “Great atmosphere, people are wonderful, very nice. Everyone’s just out having fun.”

Situated on the Bay of Finland, St. Petersburg’s northern location at the same latitude as southern Alaska means that during the summer the sun is never far below the horizon. From mid-May until mid-July, most of the hours between sunset and sunrise look like dusk and the darkest moment, around 2 a.m., is short-lived.

“It was too long and too cold [a] winter,” said local Ikbol Kobulov. “I think we deserve it.”

Visitors to St. Petersburg often express frustration that there isn’t enough time to see everything during a short stay, a sentiment the city capitalizes on during White Nights. Museums stay open later, the Mariinsky theatre offers an expanded program of ballets and operas. The city’s numerous drawbridges are drawn in the wee hours of the morning during summer months for ships to pass through, rimmed with lights and admired by sightseers.

“Everyone’s just so ready to be with other people and really embrace everything the city has to offer, which is a lot,” said Emily Moder, a Princeton University student in St. Petersburg for the summer. “You have really all 24 hours of every day to do it.”

By ALEXANDER MARQUARDT

Fireworks light up the sky over the Neva River and the Peter and Pawel Fortress during the annual school-leavers night show in St. Petersburg, June 20, 2010.

From San Diego to Honolulu, where to go for your getaway.

“There’s almost no place else I’d rather be than the Twin Cities in the summer,” says New York City resident Fernando Oliveira, who attended Macalester College in Minneapolis/St. Paul and prefers the cultured but outdoorsy Land of 10,000 Lakes to the Big Apple, which he says “gets that nasty summer stench” once temperatures start to rise.

As many travelers know, choosing the right summer destination is essential — and for some, that ideal spot is a city. So what makes a great urban getaway in June, July, and August? Looking at the results of Travel + Leisure’s annual America’s Favorite Cities survey, we found that the recipe is simple:

Good weather: It’s no surprise that some of the hottest cities in the summer ranked the lowest.
Family-friendliness: With the kids home June through August, cities with offerings for the whole clan fared best.
Great parks and easy access to the outdoors: Out of the 10 cities voted the best for summer travel, 8 also landed in the Top 10 for parks.
Fantastic farmers’ markets: Simple pleasures make a difference; great local produce and purveyors helped sway opinions.

Oliveira isn’t alone in his seasonal attraction to Minneapolis/St. Paul. The Twin Cities — which enjoy a comfy average summer temperature of 71 degrees — earned the No. 5 spot for summer travel on the survey.

But it’s not just about the weather. This time of year, you can stroll around Harriet and Calhoun lakes, take in an outdoor concert, or savor a scoop of small-batch artisanal ice cream at Sebastian Joe’s.

Check out the expansive Lyndale farmers’ market, which sells everything from sweet, just-picked strawberries to local cheeses. And on the odd chance of a heat wave, there’s also the nearby — and air-conditioned — Mall of America, home to an indoor water park and roller coaster.

Honolulu, a perennial favorite, also fared well as a summer getaway, placing No. 9. Sure, it fell short in the farmers’ markets category, but we have a sneaking suspicion that fresh pineapple isn’t as high on people’s list of priorities as, say, surfing.

Which cities didn’t do so well? New York, for one, landed in the bottom 10 — perhaps because respondents don’t find Gotham to be family-friendly, or maybe because July and August can be brutally hot. (If folks think New Yorkers are unpleasant normally, just imagine them overheated and cranky.)

And while Miami overall garnered raves for its good weather, the Florida city’s miles of beaches were not enough to compensate for the summer’s rainfall and intense humidity. Of course, travelers would rather have a wild spring break than a summer vacation in this party town anyway.

By Joshua Pramis

San Diego welcomes families with open parks and the best weather of any U.S. city — the perfect combo for a summer getaway.

The guestroom of the future is not that far off.

Imagine opening your hotel room door with a ringtone, monitoring your health via the bathroom mirror and having the temperature, lighting and other amenities adjust themselves based on your personal preferences.

Actually, said room has already been imagined for you. It’s called Guestroom 20X (nee Guestroom 2010) and it’s on display at HITEC, an annual lodging and hospitality conference for financial and technology professionals that runs June 22–24 in Orlando, Fla.

Now in its fourth iteration, this year’s exhibit features nearly 30 new and near-future technologies that promise to reinvent every aspect of the lodging experience. Some are little more than intriguing ideas at this point, but others are already starting to show up in hotels around the country. In fact, depending on your next trip, you might even run into some of the amenities below:

No keycard? Sounds good
You probably already use your cell phone as a camera, music player or gaming device; why not use it as your room key, too? That’s the idea behind OpenWays’ Crypto Acoustic Credential technology, which will unlock an appropriately equipped door when your phone emits a unique (and encrypted) audio code. Even better, you can receive your code before you check in, bypassing the front desk altogether.

According to the company, the system will work with any cell phone now on the market, although smartphone owners will likely get first crack at it. In fact, Holiday Inn expects to roll out a (smartphone-only) pilot program soon at the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center.

Your room, your way
A room that lets you manage everything from the lights to the TV to the drapes with a single remote is nice. One that “greets” you pre-loaded with your personal preferences is even better. The SuiteSystems Guestroom Control from Control4 Corp. is designed to do just that, keeping your choices — stereo off at midnight, for example, or drapes open at 8 a.m. — on file for future visits. Check it out yourself at the Aria Resort and Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter in Las Vegas, the Montage Beverly Hills boutique hotel and the recently opened Trump SoHo New York, among others.

Hotel services via touch screen
While the SuiteSystem remote provides door-to-drapes control, the SmartTouch system from Incentient LLC focuses on the bigger guest-services picture. Using its touch-screen panel, you’ll be able to access all manner of hotel services, from room service and the bell desk to on-site restaurants and spa facilities. The system is currently being used as a wireless wine list by restaurants across the country, with hotels in Chicago, Miami, New York and other cities expected to roll out in-room units later this year.

Finger-friendly fan
You probably won’t see one of those high-tech Dyson vacuum cleaners in your hotel room any time soon, but you may see one of the company’s innovative fans. Looking like an oversized magnifying glass without the glass, the Dyson Air Multiplier draws in air and amplifies it 15 times by passing it through an aerofoil-shaped ring that’s as futuristic-looking as it is free of blades altogether. The fans retail for $300–$330, but you can try one out at the W Los Angeles-Westwood, which offers them in its poolside cabanas and by request for in-room use.

Mirror, mirror on the wall
TV in the bathroom mirror? That’s so 2007. If the folks at James Law Cybertecture International in Hong Kong have their way, the well-equipped hotel bathroom of the future will feature a Cybertecture Mirror that will serve as a “reflective window to a digital life.” Akin to one of those digital windshield displays, it’ll display the time, temperature, traffic, news and even personal health data with the touch of a button. The company expects to start production by the end of the year.

Don’t toss that trash
Burn it instead, with the Miniature Waste Incinerator, an in-room unit designed to heat garbage until it spontaneously combusts. Configured to capture and re-circulate exhaust gases, the unit will save both energy and trash-disposal costs. Alas, it’s strictly a prototype at this point — for some reason, the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor from the “Back to the Future” movies comes to mind — but if it ever comes to pass, it could turn out to be a housekeeper’s best friend.

Best. Bed. Ever.
Finally, when it’s time to hit the sack, consider the HiCan High Fidelity Canopy, which is part sleeping unit, part entertainment center and all-around awesome. Shaped like a king-sized, open-sided cube, it features a state-of-the-art sound system, built-in PC/gaming console and projector that links to a 70-inch screen that slides down at the foot of the bed.

Alas, you’ll probably have to wait to crawl under the covers as the Italian company that makes the bed has so far delivered the unit to only a handful of private customers in Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Unless you run with that crowd, an invitation for a sleepover is probably not in the cards.

By Rob Lovitt

The SmartTouch allows guests to access all manner of hotel services, from room service and the bell desk to on-site restaurants and spa facilities.

Greece to Cover Costs of Tourists Stranded Due to Strikes and Natural Disasters

Greece on Monday promised to cover the extra costs of visitors stranded in the debt-ridden country in part of a bid to boost the vital tourism industry.

The pledge would apply to tourists whose visits are prolonged due to strikes, or even natural disasters, said Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos.

“We are guaranteeing to pay any extra room and board any visitor in Greece pays even if stuck here because of a volcano in Iceland,” he said at a press conference announcing a new Internet drive to advertise Greece as a tourist destination.

Greece is caught in a major budget and debt crisis, and avoided bankruptcy last month using the first installment of a (EURO)110 billion ($136.3 billion) European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout package. To secure the rescue loans, the center-left government slashed pensions and civil sector pay, while increasing consumer taxes.

Unions responded with a string of strikes, which canceled flights, ferry and rail services, and halted public transport.

Tourism is a vital source of revenue that accounts for more than 15 percent of gross domestic product, and one in five jobs. Industry experts say they are seeing a drop of about 10-12 percent in bookings this year, following deadly riots that left three dead last month in Athens when a protest against painful austerity measures turned violent.

Tourist arrivals had suffered earlier from the chaos in air transport caused by the explosion of a volcano in Iceland, which spewed vast quantities of ash into the sky for days, blocking air routes.

Geroulanos said the tourism industry seemed to be recovering, although it was too early to make accurate forecasts.

“The numbers are not really as gloomy as they were with the first cancellations,” he said. “Some destinations have suffered greatly due to the crisis, but others are doing better than before.”

By ABCNews

Greece on Monday promised to cover the extra costs of visitors stranded in the debt-ridden country in part of a bid to boost the vital tourism industry.

Although not widely discovered yet, Estonia is ideal country for observing one of the most spectacular natural shows – massive bird migration. This smallest and northernmost Baltic country lies on the crossroad of the Eastern Atlantic migratory flyway: Estonia is locked between the Finnish Gulf, eastern coast of Baltic Sea and Lake Peipsi near the Russian border.

In this respect, geographically the Estonian waters and coastline are the natural stepping-stones, the most natural flyway between breeding and wintering areas for millions of Arctic waterbirds, making birdwatching in Estonia fabulous at this time of year.

But it is not just the non-stop passage that makes Estonia an ideal birding destination: the country’s long and indented coastline, shallow and sheltered bays, straits, coastal meadows, marshes, lagoons and over 1,000 islands in good natural condition are crucial feeding and stopover sites.

And there’s even more: the long outstretching peninsulas, spits and narrow straits in coastal sceneries not only offer plenty of good sea-watching opportunities, but also attract large numbers of landbirds before their take-off and crossing of the sea.

Three-toed Woodpecker (Photo: Sven Zace)

Spring birdwatching in Estonia begins in late March when woodpeckers start their drumming, Capercaillies become very active under the old pine forests at dusk and all the swamps and bogs resound with Black Grouses at sunrise.

Steller’s Eider is easily observed in their wintering grounds and when it gets dark you can hear the calls of owls in the forest and observe Woodcocks flying above you. On shallow bays, their traditional feeding sites, there are thousands of Whooper and Bewick’s Swans and different duck species, on the fields gather tens of thousands of geese.

During the migration season, the crowds of southward-rushing birds can be seen in incredible numbers: several hundreds of thousands of waterfowl or passerine migrants can be seen passing per day at the best sites at the peak season. As many as one million of waterfowl and nearly three-quarters of passerines are observed per day as top figures.

In total, over 50 million of waterbirds are estimated to pass the Estonian coast and marine territories annually. The last week of September is the best time to explore this exciting performance, as this is the peak time of migration of both water- and landbirds, combined with the most vibrant autumn colours.

Steller’s Eider (Photo: Jari Peltomaki)

Learn More About Estonia: Featured ecoDestination

Estonia is a small country, situated on the Baltic coast between Russia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden. Estonian territory is about same as the Netherlands, but the population (1.4 million) is eleven times less, which means that there is lot of space for nature. About 50% of country is covered by forests and woods, and is home to eagles, wolves, brown bears and lynx. People of Estonia often call themselves the “forest people”, and have lived on these lands since Stone Age.

Local watering holes, from New York to California.

Standing in the sunshine on the rocky bank, with rivulets of cool water dripping from your hair and swimsuit, you wait your turn at the base of the old oak. You’re up. You grip the fraying rope, get a running start, swing out over the pool of clear water, and release. Cannonball!

In summertime, when the mercury taunts the tip of the thermometer like an angry red fist, the best place to cool down is an old-fashioned swimming hole.

These often-secluded natural pools are the perfect antidote to crowded pools with zinc-covered teenage lifeguards or water parks with $8 hot dogs. And they offer a dose of not-yet-forgotten Americana, where sunny days are measured by best friends and belly flops.

Swimming holes are where we shrug off responsibilities and play with the enthusiastic zeal of a child. They’re also places where we come of age. In “The Man in the Moon,” 14-year-old Dani (Reese Witherspoon) has her first kiss with the gorgeous 17-year-old neighbor (Jason London) — and subsequently learns her first lessons in love — down at the swimming hole.

Pancho Doll, a former writer for the Los Angeles Times, is something of an aficionado. For his first book, “Day Trips with a Splash: Swimming Holes of California,” Doll logged 25,000 miles in his truck searching the state for the best, from the Oregon state line to San Diego County. He has since penned a whole series that chronicles the best freshwater spots across the country.

This is a man who knows a thing or two about taking a dip. “The Holy Trinity of swimming-hole quality is height, depth, and privacy,” says Doll. “Surrounding rock provides a sense of enclosure, often a nice slab inclined for summer repose, even a ledge to jump from.”

And what says “swimming hole” more than an old-fashioned rope swing? At the cypress-studded Blue Hole in Wimberley, Texas, three such swings hang from burly tree limbs. Drop in with the Austinites who come to float on inner tubes and picnic on the grassy banks.

While these natural oases might seem most at home in the South, you’ll find swimming holes across the country. At Peekamoose Blue Hole in New York State’s Catskill Mountains, dappled light bounces off leafy canopies and swimmers submerge themselves in the cool waters like an invigorating summer baptism.

So grab your swimsuit, a towel, and a pair of water shoes, and jump in at some of our favorite swimming holes. Last one in’s a rotten egg!

By Alice Bruneau

Sliding Rock in North Carolina is where young swimmers slither down a flat waterfall into a deep pool at the bottom.